Press Statement: 10 July 2026 | Ensure women's safety; stop extrajudicial killings in the name of encounters.

Press Statement: Ensure women's safety; stop extrajudicial killings in the name of encounters.

The unfolding events following the rape and murder of a teenage girl in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal on July 4, 2026 — centred on allegations of police failure and culminating in the killing of a prime accused, Probhas Mandal, in a police encounter on July 8, 2026 — have stirred the entire state. According to media reports, approximately 19 incidents of rape have come to light in West Bengal since the new government assumed office, and the number continues to rise. Women's safety in the state is facing a major question mark today.
Also in Baruipur, it has been reported that a suspected individual fell victim to mob lynching amidst public outrage, fuelled by police inaction during the initial stages of the incident. While this condemnable and alarming event reflects the deteriorating post-election social climate in West Bengal, the public anger directed at the police and administration appears to be spontaneous. As is customary, the state government is attempting to label this lynching incident as a premeditated, communal conspiracy; we condemn this political agenda.
This rape and murder, along with the subsequent events, starkly expose the government's overall administrative failure. The new government's political rhetoric and messages with extra-constitutional fervour are fostering a sense of anarchy among the people of the state rather than reassuring them. Instead of established systems of justice, incidents of mob justice, social retribution, and harassment are encouraging unconstitutional and barbaric practices everywhere. 
The narrative regarding the encounter-victim that the media is circulating in the aftermath of the encounter suggests a degree of acquiescence from the family. While this stance might stem from the family's temporary despair or the social stigma they face, questions remain as to the extent to which it is state-controlled or influenced.
In the 1997 case of People’s Union for Civil Liberties vs. Union of India [WP (Cri) No. 612], the Supreme Court ruled that, regardless of the background of the person killed in a police encounter, the State must initiate suo motu proceedings to investigate and adjudicate the matter. It is against this backdrop that we are demanding a judicial inquiry into this encounter.
Under the circumstances, we demand:
1.    A judicial inquiry must be conducted into the rape and murder of the minor girl in Baruipur and subsequent killing of an accused under police custody in an encounter.
2.    Allegations regarding the police's role—specifically concerning potential negligence of duty and the granting of undue advantages to the perpetrators—must be investigated, and appropriate action must be taken against the officials found responsible.
3.    All individuals accused of involvement in the rape and murder of the minor girl must be brought to justice and subjected to appropriate legal proceedings and punishment.
4.    All police officers involved in the encounter must be immediately suspended and brought to justice.
5.    All cases filed against political activists and protesters must be withdrawn, and the right to democratic protest must be safeguarded.
6.    Security, legal assistance, and a speedy, transparent judicial process must be ensured for the victim's family.

Sanjib Acharya

President

Altaf Ahmed

Secretary

10.7.2026